Buying Options

Print List Price:	$16.00
Kindle Price:	$11.99 Save $4.01 (25%)
Sold by:	Random House LLC Price set by seller.

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add Audible narration to your purchase for just $12.99

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Enter a promotion code or Gift Card

Share <Embed>

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) (Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy 1) by [Timothy Zahn]

Follow the Author

Timothy Zahn

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) (Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy 1) Kindle Edition

by Timothy Zahn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

5,584 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy

Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$11.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$23.99

$18.67

$12.88

Paperback

"Please retry"

$12.99

$11.10

$8.33

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$24.55

$24.54

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover Thrawn’s origins within the Chiss Ascendancy in the first book in an epic new Star Wars trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn.

Beyond the edge of the galaxy lies the Unknown Regions: chaotic, uncharted, and near impassable, with hidden secrets and dangers in equal measure. And nestled within its swirling chaos is the Ascendancy, home to the enigmatic Chiss and the Nine Ruling Families that lead them.

The peace of the Ascendancy, a beacon of calm and stability, is shattered after a daring attack on the Chiss capital that leaves no trace of the enemy. Baffled, the Ascendancy dispatches one of its brightest young military officers to root out the unseen assailants. A recruit born of no title, but adopted into the powerful family of the Mitth and given the name Thrawn.

With the might of the Expansionary Fleet at his back, and the aid of his comrade Admiral Ar’alani, answers begin to fall into place. But as Thrawn’s first command probes deeper into the vast stretch of space his people call the Chaos, he realizes that the mission he has been given is not what it seems.

And the threat to the Ascendancy is only just beginning.

Print length

404 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Del Rey
Publication date

September 1, 2020
File size

7949 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

Next 3 for you in this series See full series

Total Price: $37.97

By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of Use

Timothy Zahn
4,834
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $3.99
Timothy Zahn
2,952
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $12.99
Timothy Zahn
1,960
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $12.99
Timothy Zahn
4,300
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
Timothy Zahn
7,549
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
Timothy Zahn
4,728
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99

Create your FREE Amazon Business account to save up to 10% with Business-only prices and free shipping. Register today

Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

“Intent and motivations are irrelevant,” Thrawn said. “Judgment can focus only on actions.”
Highlighted by 295 Kindle readers
“The history of the Ascendancy is in these rooms, some of the pieces dating back to Chiss participation in the wars between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire.”
Highlighted by 192 Kindle readers
“But while all of us face a variety of paths, we all have the power to choose among them,” he continued. “You have that power as well, the power to choose which of those paths is the right one for you.”
Highlighted by 130 Kindle readers

From the Publisher

star wars;star wars books;gifts for star wars fans;star wars gift;clone wars;gifts for kids


	Dark Disciple: Star Wars	Dooku: Jedi Lost (Star Wars)	Battlefront: Twilight Company (Star Wars)	Battlefront II: Inferno Squad (Star Wars)
	Based on unproduced episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this new novel features Asajj Ventress, former Sith apprentice turned bounty hunter and one of the great antiheroes in the Star Wars galaxy.	Delve into the history of the sinister Count Dooku in the original script to the thrilling Star Wars audio production.	A companion novel inspired by Star Wars: Battlefront, this action-packed adventure follows a squad of soldiers caught in the trenches of the ultimate galactic war between good and evil.	Set in the aftermath of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this action-packed prequel to the videogame Battlefront II introduces the Empire’s elite force: Inferno Squad.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER ONE

There were times, Ba’kif thought distantly, when it was good for a man to stare out of the relative stability of the Chiss Ascendancy into the Chaos. It was a chance to appreciate all that the Ascendancy was, and all that it meant: order and steadfastness, security and power, light and culture and glory. It was an island of calm amid the twisted hyperspace lanes and the ever-changing pathways that slowed travel and stunted trade for all those who lived out there.

The Chaos hadn’t always been that way, or so the legends went. Once, at the dawn of space travel, it had been no more difficult to move between any of the stars than it was now to travel in the Ascendancy. But then, millennia ago, a series of chained supernova explosions throughout the region had sent huge masses tumbling at high speeds between the stars, some of them demolishing asteroids or whole worlds, others sparking more supernovas with their near-lightspeed impacts. The movement of all those masses, coupled with regions of heavy electromagnetic flux, resulted in the constantly changing hyperlanes that made any voyage longer than a couple of star systems difficult and dangerous.

But that instability was a two-bladed knife. The limitations that stifled travel and thus helped protect the Chiss from invasion also slowed recon and intelligence gathering. There were dangers out there in the darkness, hidden worlds and tyrants who sought conquest and destruction.

One of those tyrants had apparently now set his sights on the Ascendancy.

“Are you certain this is the way?” he asked the young woman at the helm of their shuttle.

“Yes, General, I am,” she said. A flicker of controlled pain crossed her face. “I was part of the team that found it.”

Ba’kif nodded. “Of course.” There was another short silence, another moment of gazing out at the distant stars—

“There,” the woman said suddenly. “Ten degrees to starboard.”

“I see it,” Ba’kif said. “Take us alongside.”

“Yes, sir.”

Their ship moved forward, steadily closing the distance. Ba’kif gazed out the viewport, his stomach tight. It was one thing to see holos and recordings of a destroyed refugee ship. It was something else entirely to look personally upon the stark reality of slaughter.

Beside him, Senior Captain Thrawn stirred. “This wasn’t pirates,” he said.

“Your reasoning?” Ba’kif asked.

“The damage pattern is designed to destroy, not immobilize.”

“Perhaps the majority of the destruction was inflicted after they plundered it.”

“Unlikely,” Thrawn said. “The angle of the majority of the shots indicates an attack from the rear.”

Ba’kif nodded. That was the same analysis and logic he’d followed, and it had taken him to the same conclusion.

That logic plus one more crucial, terrible fact.

“Let’s get the obvious question out of the way,” he said. “Is this ship at all related to the ones that attacked Csilla two days ago?”

“No,” Thrawn said promptly. “I can see no artistic or architectural connection between them at all.”

Ba’kif nodded again. That, too, had been his conclusion. “So it’s possible the two incidents are unrelated.”

“If so, it would be an interesting coincidence,” Thrawn said. “I consider it more likely that the attack on Csilla was a diversion to draw our attention inward and away from this event.”

“Indeed,” Ba’kif agreed. “And given the cost of the diversion, it further suggests someone really doesn’t want us taking a good look at this ship.”

“Indeed,” Thrawn said thoughtfully. “I wonder why they left the wreckage instead of destroying it completely.”

“I can tell you that, sir,” the pilot put in. “I was on the patrol ship that spotted the attack. We were too far away to intervene or to get any real sensor data, but the attacker apparently spotted our approach and decided not to risk a confrontation. By the time we arrived and began our investigation, it had escaped back into hyperspace.”

“So we already knew about the attack,” Ba’kif added. “The diversion was then presumably an attempt to push it out of our attention.”

“At least until more time had passed,” Thrawn said. “How much time, sir, do you estimate?”

Ba’kif shook his head. “Impossible to say for certain. But given the Syndicure’s outrage at the Csilla attack, I’m guessing they’ll keep up the pressure on the fleet to find the culprits for at least the next three or four months. Assuming, of course, that we don’t identify them before then.”

“We won’t,” Thrawn said. “From the recordings I saw of the attack, the ships looked old, even marginally obsolete. Whoever their master was, he chose ships that’ll most likely bear little resemblance to what he’s using now.”

Ba’kif smiled grimly. “But then, a little resemblance may be all we need.”

“Perhaps.” Thrawn gestured toward the wrecked ship. “I assume we’ll be going aboard?”

Ba’kif looked at the pilot. Her cheeks were tight, the skin around her eyes pinched. She’d been aboard once, and clearly had no desire to go back. “Yes,” he said. “Just the two of us. The shuttle crew will stay here on watch.”

“Understood,” Thrawn said. “With your permission, I’ll prepare the boarding suits.”

“Go ahead,” Ba’kif said. “I’ll join you in a moment.”

He waited until Thrawn had left. “I presume you left everything as you found it?” he asked the pilot.

“Yes, sir,” she said. “But . . .”

“But?” Ba’kif prompted.

“I don’t understand why you wanted it left intact instead of bringing it in for a more thorough investigation,” she said. “I can’t see how anything in there will do you any good.”

“You may be surprised,” Ba’kif said. “We may both be.”

He looked toward the hatch where Thrawn had gone. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”

Ba’kif had seen the holos the patrol had sent to the Syndicure on Csilla and the Expansionary Defense Fleet headquarters on Naporar.

Like the ship itself, the reality was far worse.

Wrecked consoles. Fried data storage banks and modules. Destroyed sensor clusters and analysis pods.

And bodies. Lots of bodies.

Or rather, the remains of bodies.

“This wasn’t a freighter.” Thrawn’s voice came softly through Ba’kif’s helmet speaker. “It was a refugee ship.”

Ba’kif nodded silently. Adults, midagers, children—the whole range of life experience had been represented.

All of them slaughtered with the same brutal efficiency.

“What did the fleet’s analysis give us?” Thrawn asked.

“Precious little,” Ba’kif admitted. “As you already noted, the ship’s design isn’t one we’ve seen before. The victims’ nucleic code isn’t in our data listings. The size of the ship suggests it didn’t travel overly far, but there are a lot of planetary systems and small nation clusters in the Chaos that we’ve never visited.”

“And their physical characteristics . . .” Thrawn waved a hand.

“Not easy to read,” Ba’kif said grimly, shivering in spite of himself. Explosive rounds had left very little for even the best reconstruction team to work with. “I was hoping there might be something you could glean from what they left behind.”

“There are a few things,” Thrawn said. “The basic ship design has certain characteristics that likely translate to other aspects of their culture. Their clothing, too, is distinctive.”

“In what way?” Ba’kif asked. “Material? Design? Patterning?”

“All that, and more,” Thrawn said. “There’s a certain air about such things, an overall feeling that forms in my mind.”

“Nothing you can codify for us?”

Thrawn turned to him, and through his faceplate Ba’kif saw the other’s wry smile. “Really, General,” he said. “If I could write all this down, I certainly would.”

“I know,” Ba’kif said. “It would be a lot easier for all of us if you could.”

“Agreed,” Thrawn said. “But rest assured I’ll be able to recognize these beings when I see them again. I presume your plan is to search for the ship’s point of origin?”

“Under normal circumstances, I would definitely do so,” Ba’kif said. “But with the Syndicure in its current state of uproar and outrage, it might be difficult to detach a task force from Ascendancy defense.”

“I’m prepared to go alone if necessary.”

About the Author

Timothy Zahn is the author of more than sixty novels, nearly ninety short stories and novelettes, and four short-fiction collections. In 1984, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. Zahn is best known for his Star Wars novels (Thrawn, Thrawn: Alliances, Thrawn: Treason, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor’s Quest, Outbound Flight, Allegiance, Choices of One, and Scoundrels), with more than eight million copies of his books in print. Other books include StarCraft: Evolution, the Cobra series, the Quadrail series, and the young adult Dragonback series. Zahn has a BS in physics from Michigan State University and an MS from the University of Illinois. He lives with his family on the Oregon coast. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07YK1JM4S
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Del Rey (September 1, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 7949 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 404 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #24,955 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #13 in Star Wars Series
- #79 in Movie Tie-In Fiction
- #241 in Space Fleet Science Fiction

Customer Reviews:
5,584 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Timothy Zahn

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Timothy Zahn is the Hugo Award-winning author of more than forty original science fiction novels and the bestselling Star Wars trilogy Heir to the Empire, among other works. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Customer reviews

5 star		81%
4 star		15%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

J. Marts

Overall, Great Setup to New Trilogy

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a 4.5 book. I am hesitant about giving it 5 stars though, since there are some things that rubbed me the wrong way.

But clocking in at just under 400 pages, this took me about 4.5 hours to read...and that includes the 3 minutes I spent poring over the Dramatis Personae just because I was in awe at the information that we get, including the Nine Ruling Families and the hierarchy.

The Chaos is what the “known” regions call the Unknown Regions; conversely, the Chaos call what we know to be “Lesser Space.” Or maybe it’s just the Chiss, since they don’t see others as being their equals. *shrugs* That’s the Chiss for you. We really see how they isolate themselves from others.

But someone is plotting against the Ascendency, and General Ba’kif uses Senior Captain Thrawn to determine the answers as to who and why, especially based on other information. And so we progress through the story to learn the deeper nuances (though some are quite vague) to this threat. Perceived or real though, that’s what the Chiss need to know.

Between the current scenes are memories featuring characters who appear not only in the subsequent chapter but throughout the book. These memories are in different font and have different borders (at least in the blue version). We see how Thrawn has been making waves from the moment he was adopted into the Mitth family (from the Kivu), whether or not he knew it. Characters include Thurfian, Al’iastov (who is so sweet), Ziara (whose name I love, and to whom Thrawn teaches how art reflects a person’s/species’ life and strategies, even though he’s younger), Qilori, and Zistalmu.

Being able to witness a family name change is fascinating, though Thrawn’s “odo” is missing in the Memories scenes. Hopefully we see how that addition occurs in one of the other books.

We see that Thrawn is more observant than other Chiss but a lot are as logical.

There is a lot on the political spectrum here, but the fact that I was able to follow it easily shows that politics are not Zahn’s strength. However, Thrawn is less able to wrap his head around everything, and Ar’alani explains to him why.
The tension between the military and political aspects is palpable.

While many of the Aristocra (and other ranks) respect his mind and find his skills admirable, they don’t like him. They see him as a threat to the Ascendency (particularly regarding how he definitely goads others to attack). And after a Vagaari incident, on top of a Lioaoin one (which we learn from the Memories), they really want him out
It’s actually nice to have Zistalmu not only explain this but to turn things around on Thrawn, to be quick on the uptake, and use his tactics against him.
Thrawn is fallible.

I really like Samakro and how he handles his own feelings against Thrawn. That is true respect.

I love Thalias’ choices; Che’ri is precious.
Especially through them, we learn a lot on how sky-walkers are treated (and not just by caregivers) and trained.
I don’t like how Che’ri refers to all of her handlers as “momish” though. They don’t act like surrogate mothers and she doesn’t think them as such, so it’s super odd.

OK, can I love Thrawn even more? Yes I can. And later too, with Che’ri.
I read a review saying that Thrawn is always the same, but the care he shows towards those (at least Chiss) he sees as being pushed to the margins shows the opposite to me. He is hard and tactical and doesn’t show too much positive emotion towards others...but we see him among aliens more often than not and not among his own species.
But he does view non-Chiss as allies or foes--as “assets” to be used. He recognizes that this damages his complete view of a situation.

We learn that a flag rank (Commodore and up) means that a Chiss loses the family connection, even if they are in the family by blood. It’s sad.
With that, we see Ar’alani’s rise, and how Thrawn moves to assignments with her, very much like Eli Vantos did with Thrawn.

I like Wutroow. I wasn’t sure at first, but I quickly came to like him.

The fact that everyone expects combat when Thrawn is involved humors me.
I like that he can’t articulate everything he analyzes.

The Chiss participated in wars between the Republic and Sith!! Was that already canon? If not, it is now!

The Navigators’ Guild is super interesting, especially how they employ Pathfinders. From what I can gather, they at least have the Third Sight as they can navigate long distances through routes the sky-walkers/Chiss navigation don’t know (also I guess the Chiss use them to keep the sky-walkers secret). I like how the one, Qilori, calls his “Force” the “Great Presence.”

Yiv the Benevolent is definitely eerie. He’s a Nikardan who, well, wants to destroy the Chaos.

Can I love Ar’alani more?

Thrawn’s precautions on Primea make me chuckle.

We learn a bit more of Thrawn’s family past, including his sister [and maybe Thrass?], but a lot more is needed to sate my curiosity.

Ziara inviting Thrawn to her family’s homestead is precious. I don’t know if Zahn is implying any sort of attraction between them, but I don’t fully get that. They just have a deep friendship.

I can’t stand Thurfian.

We get some more information from what Thrawn first meets Anakin.

The fact that Thalias and Che’ri wear intense face masks while acting as hostages makes me think of the way many Asian women (especially from the past) are depicted as wearing heavy makeup and being demure.

I also don’t like some words/phrases that never feel like Star Wars to me, such as “a lot bath,” but it is cool that one planet has what are essential Ren Faires.

70 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

Another one.

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Timothy Zahn and Thrawn. Only reason I still like Star Wars.

No right wing shot, no left wing shot, just entertainment.

61 people found this helpful

Helpful

Mario A. EscamillaTop Contributor: Star Wars

Zahn shines again!

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

Timothy Zahn is back with a Thrawn novel, almost 30 years after the release of "Heir to the Empire", and this time he's got the space (if maybe not the time) to grow and write what he wants.

The Unknown Regions are so called not because nobody has ever gone there, but because there are astronomical anomalies that are constantly changing and prevent the usage of hyperdrive navigator computers, as the route you plot can change every second. So that means that whatever is in there, is isolated from the larger galaxy. And in "whatever's in there", the Chiss Ascendancy is one of the larger groups, feared and revered by their neighbors, consisting also of multiple species, some with large civilizations, other confined to just one world.

In this regard, it's much like Brian Daley's novels, where he created his own slice of the galaxy, the Corporate Sector, so he could play without risk of interfering with the galactic politics. And it works well, there are so many new species that sometimes you feel like you're reading science fiction/fantasy but not Star Wars. If it weren't for the fact that you already know Thrawn and some other events I'm not going to talk about, you could say this is not a Star Wars book.

And that is for the best, you get a detailed look about the Chiss culture, military, politics and technology while a new threat rises against them. A charismatic military leader is slowly gaining territory and allies, planning a final attack against the Chiss, and obviously it's up to Thrawn to stop him.

But not everyone trusts him, a great blunder he made earlier has him as the target not only of rival houses but also a faction of his own house. Only the help of some allies, who can shield him from political attacks, will provide him the freedom to pursue the destruction of this new enemy.

The book is enhanced by key characters, like returning Admiral Ar'alani or the newcomer General Ba'kif, also a couple of women who will side with him even in the face of danger. And of course the enemies are also memorable, not only the main villain, but also the traitorous politicians in the Chiss Ascendancy.

As the first of the new trilogy, the book has a satisfactory conclusion but leaving us with a sense of danger looming in the future. Zahn shines again with fantastic writing and the wait until next year for the next novel will be long.

Recommended!

29 people found this helpful

Helpful

Brandon B

Doesn't make sense the way Thrawn is portrayed.

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

I liked the book but it was incredibly frustrating the way Thrawn was portrayed. He's a military genius, historian, art critic, and an ABSOLUTE MORON socially and politically. I know the author doesn't come from a military background but regardless of country of service one does not make rank without being politically savvy. Politics are simply an intellectual battle ground and it's inconceivable that a prodigy such as Thrawn would be inept in the political spectrum. It's not even the same argument of book smart vs. common sense. You would never make rank without learning to play the game.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

K. G. A. Alavi

Controlling the Chaos

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2020

Verified Purchase

A great book. This is the most insight I have had on Thrawn after all these years. In the books Thrawn always seems to be playing his own long game. Even his own people the Chiss do not understand and him. Some see greatness in him others see great danger.

I actually like this version of Thrawn away from the Imperials. Yes he is a militery man through and through, but he shows more compassion in his attitude and tactics here. Also he does an incredible job of mentoring his subordinates. Though he claims not to understand the political games, he earns life long loyalty from those that are close to him.

I also like that older school touches. The pathfinders and the Chiss' own version of them who "find" new hyperspace routes to get to certain destinations quicker. Extended Universe will remember the brother and sister found their way in the Golden Age of the Sith.

This book follows a younger, slightly less experienced but brilliant Thrawn doing what he need to do the save the Ascendancy. There are also his older memories of him coming up the ranks. There are also Awesome side characters that I really hope are explored further. A couple of the have made a appearance in other Disney era Star Wars book and series already. Another brilliant touch was linking this book to Thrawn Alliances. It was a small touch but to a continuity lover like me it was awesome and hearing the conversation from Thrawn's was a nice touch. I am really looking forward to the next book in the trilogy, and I want to know the final fate of Thrawn post Rebels.

6 people found this helpful

Ceri

PROOF READERS? HA HA BUDGET CUTS SACKED THEM

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

This story is good, but as someone who has to read every word instead of skim reading there are so many things the proof reader and publisher missed, and it’s not just once or twice in the whole book every chapter has at least one error and some have up to five that really takes away from being able to be absorbed into the story as a reader

7 people found this helpful

Targaid

Not for me

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a good book. It's well-paced, imaginative and has good, well-rounded characters. Zahn does great world-building and Thrawn is one of the best characters in the extended universe.
The trouble with this is it's going too much into his background and his world. So far that it no longer feels like Star Wars.
I like Thrawn but the trouble with making him a central hero is that it's taking away from him being such a powerful villain. He's portrayed as a noble, compassionate, honourable man. Too much so to be the Imperial Mastermind we first see him as. Certainly too much so to side with the Empire.
This, for me, is the problem with delving too deeply into the background of characters like this. You can't depict the hero of the story as an out and out villain and when you make him the focus you undermine his power as a bad guy. Plus, how old is Thrawn? I know he's not human but the length of career he seems to have had in the Chiss Ascendancy prior to arriving in the Empire and starting over and working up through the ranks again just seems improbable.
Oh, and Timothy, please stop having non-humans talk about needing or giving humanitarian aid; it's very jarring. Even more so than the slightly rephrased homilies you love to use.

3 people found this helpful

Razor Shultz

Awesome backstory for Thrawn

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book begins before the first Thrawn novel. It covers Thrawn's background and his early career in the Chiss Ascendancy, and the sorts of missions/conflicts he got involved in with the other races in the Chaos. Without saying too much, it explains a lot about the Chiss culture and society. Admiral Ar'alani features heavily in it too, which I think is great because she is really cool, as you would know from having read the first 3 Thrawn novels. If you like Thrawn as a character, definitely pick this up. It's the first book in a new Thrawn trilogy too!

That said, please DO read the first 3 Thrawn books before picking this one up.

3 people found this helpful

Stuart Monk

Grabs me every time

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2021

Verified Purchase

I thought about reading this book for a long time - from the write-up there was nothing directly related to the Star Wars universe I've been reading about since Timothy Zahn's 'Heir To The Empire', so I wondered if I needed to read a trilogy of books about aliens who didn't have any connection to Star Wars (apart from Thrawn, obviously).
But I ordered it and just recently the second book was published so I thought I'd give part one a try...
Hook, line and Sinker!
Great story, looking forward to part 2.
And it turns out there is a certain level of crossover into the SW Universe, after all.

See all reviews

Timothy Zahn
2,952
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $12.99
Timothy Zahn
1,960
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $12.99
Timothy Zahn
4,300
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
Timothy Zahn
4,728
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
Timothy Zahn
7,549
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
Timothy Zahn
739
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $8.99

Buying Options

Buy for others

Buying and sending eBooks to others

Follow the Author

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) (Star Wars: The Ascendancy Trilogy 1) Kindle Edition

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Product details

About the author

Timothy Zahn

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Customers who bought this item also bought